


Bubbles of Infinity

by Tish



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:25:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tish/pseuds/Tish
Summary: There are times when you wish your holidays would never end. Sometimes, they don't.





	Bubbles of Infinity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [craterdweller](https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/gifts).



Donna closed her eyes and sank into the bath, the stresses of the universe melting always as she just let herself _be_.

What seemed to be a ceramic bathtub proved to be something else as the initial annoying hardness melded softly against her back and legs. It should have been a creepy transformation, yet it happened with such smooth slowness that Donna felt no alarm, rather she quietly marvelled at how the worst part of taking a bath was subtly improved.

She lifted a leg and listened to the water slowly trickle down, the bubbles slowly popping in the air, the aroma lingering around her. Bliss.

Every time she found herself falling asleep and nearly sinking under the water, the bath gently moved position around her, keeping her safe. After an hour or so, she decided that the water was just the wrong side of cool and slowly rose, the bath becoming hard and slip-free under her as she got out.

Drifting into sleep in the soft bed, Donna felt she could stay at this resort forever, the cares of the universe sliding away as she dreamt.

  
Opening her eyes, refreshed and happy in the soft morning light, Donna listened to the birdsong outside and slowly stretched out, her feet curling as they hit the cooler part of the bed.

From outside the door to the courtyard, a familiar voice called out, “Wakey wakey, sleepy head!”

“Shut it, Spaceman!” Donna laughed as she answered, rolling out of bed to throw open the curtain.

“Oh no, I dropped my sausage,” The Doctor moaned as he knelt under the table. “Three second rule still applies.”

Donna clicked open the sliding door and tilted her head. “I knew you were gonna do that.”

“What? Ow!” The Doctor rubbed his head, glaring up to see where the table attacked him.

“And that,” Donna pulled a robe around her as she shuffled over to the breakfast tray. “Weird,” she muttered.

“I'm not that predicable, am I?” The Doctor asked, blowing on his sausage.

“Sometimes you are,” Donna shrugged as she settled into her breakfast.  
  


Three hours later, Donna turned to The Doctor in the middle of a jungle tour and whispered, “I think we're just going in circles, I'm sure we passed that tree half an hour ago.”

The Doctor looked at the map display in the pod and shook his head. “The sun would've changed position if we were.”

“Of course it's changed position, we've been here 4 hours,” Donna prodded his shoulder.

“3 hours, and yes, it's moved _up_ the sky, but not _around_ us,” The Doctor waved his hands about to demonstrate.

Donna snorted back a laugh, “You look daft doing that.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” The Doctor said, smiling as he watched an elegant bird swoop above them.

Donna looked up, then suddenly squawked, ducking down.

“Now who looks daft?” The Doctor said, just as something splattered on the tinted glass canopy above them.

“I just knew that bird was gonna crap on us!” Donna came back up with a look of triumph on her face.  
  


Later, as the sun sank low over the horizon, Donna sat opposite The Doctor waiting for their dinner to be served. She idly swirled some wine in her glass and turned to watch the darker part of the sky.

“You're missing the sunset colours,” The Doctor pointed out.

“Hmm? No, there's something. I don't know,” Donna paused, staring up at the sky.

As the Doctor looked up, a small, bright light started to rise up. Climbing higher into the sky. It left behind a widening silver swirling vortex. A rainbow of colours shimmered as it reflected the setting sun.

“What _is_ that?” Donna gasped, staring up in astonishment.

A passing waiter stopped by them. “It's a rocket. It'll be launching a satellite, ma'am.”

“What, another one?” Donna asked.

“No? I don't think we've had a launch for a few years, ma'am,” the waiter frowned in confusion before setting a fresh jug of water on their table.

 

As the vortex slowly dissipated, Donna ate in silence, then asked, “Doctor, how long have we been here?”

“Um, 3 days. Yeah, 3,” The Doctor scrunched up his face as he double checked himself.

“Feels longer,” Donna said to the sky.

“You're relaxed. Got holiday brain,” The Doctor grinned.  
  


Donna woke to birdsong, still blissed out from her bath last night. She scrambled out of bed with her robe and slid the door open, popping her head out just as The Doctor walked into the courtyard.

“Wakey wa-, oh, you're up!” The Doctor grinned, holding up the breakfast tray.

“I knew you were gonna do that, Spaceman!” Donna pointed at him, then lunged at a plate to hold it under the Krumian barbecued sausage just as it dropped from his fork.

“Good catch,” The Doctor said warily. “You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?”

“I swear you've dropped your banger every day for the past 2 weeks,” Donna said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, but the thing is, we've only been here 3 days,” The Doctor replied cautiously. “Right?”

“Yeah,” Donna counted on her fingers. “I can't remember right. Holiday brain, like you said. I just keep getting déjà vu, and thinking, oh something's going to happen, and it does.”

The Doctor dabbed at his mouth, then went back to his room. “Be right back. Checking the TARDIS.” He disappeared, then reappeared. “You remember this happening before?”

Donna stirred her tea. “No, don't think so?”

“Good!” The Doctor disappeared again.

 

Donna looked around the courtyard, looking for anything oddly familiar, then felt compelled to crouch under the table.

With a cry of “AHA!” The Doctor came running back out.

“Ow!” Donna climbed out from under the table.

“You all right?” The Doctor stopped and crouched down with Donna.

“Yeah, I just thought something was weird about. Anyway. What's AHA-able?” Donna rubbed her head.

“We haven't been here 3 days, more like 3 weeks. There's some weird timey wimey stuff happening,” The Doctor took the last slice of toast. “Pack your bags, we better get out of here!”  
  


Within minutes, Donna had bundled up her luggage and dropped it on a couch in the console room. “We gonna pay for the extra days?”

“Erm. Nope, I'm guessing this is all a scam just to get money from tourists,” The Doctor said as he set the TARDIS.

“Shame, it's so flipping gorgeous there,” Donna sighed as she flopped onto the couch and rummaged in her bag. “Still, at least we can have a bit of paradise in our bubble baths,” she grinned as she pulled out the bottle she pinched from the bathroom.

“Donna,” The Doctor stared at her, “did you nick that?”

“Yeah, well you did a bunk from paying the bill, this is small fry,” Donna snorted.

The Doctor took the bottle from her. “You notice the logo on the bottle? An infinity loop.” He scanned it with his sonic screwdriver. “Yeah, that's how they did it. Every room gets a bubble bath, body wash, mouthwash, whatever. All designed to trap the user in a time loop!”

Donna's face fell. “Can't you somehow de-loop it? That was a slice of heaven in a tub!”

The Doctor scratched his head. “No, how about we go to one of those fancy bath bomb places? I'll buy the whole shop just for you!”

“Yeah, go on, Spaceman,” Donna laughed.

“I knew you were gonna say that,” The Doctor replied with a crafty wink.

 


End file.
